Friday, March 27, 2020

a comparrison of a childrens b essays

a comparrison of a childrens b essays I give this book a six out of ten because even though it leaves important parts of what happened out. It tells enough information for children to get the general idea of what happened with Columbus and his trip to what he thought to be India. The book generally starts out telling his life story. It tells when and where he was born and how when he was little he dreamed of becoming a sailor. And on to his first trip as a captain of his own ship. In the book Christopher Columbus it says Christopher Columbus and his men rowed ashore. He planted his flag in the sand and claimed the island for Spain. He named the island San Salvador. Christopher Columbus gave the natives of the island red capes and glass bead necklaces. (David A. Alder. 8) which I found not to be true because in a letter to lord Rachael Sanchez the treasurer of spains king and queen he states. Seeing, however, no town or populous places on the sea coast but only a few detached houses and cottages, with which its inhabitants I was not able to communicate because they fled as soon as they saw us. (R.H. Major, select letters of Christopher Columbus) The Christopher Columbus book does not tell much about the taino Indians or about making them pay a hut tax of gold to the Spanish all it say about that is he left some sailors in the new world to search for gold. (David A. Adler, 22) then the next time the Columbus book mentions gold is when it talks about his last two trips to the new world. But all it says about that is Columbus sailed to America again in 1498 and 1502. The men who traveled with him had great hopes for gold and other riches. But they found very little gold, and Columbus was no longer a hero. (David A. Adler. 26) In one of Columbuss letters gold is mentioned several times in one of his letters to the king and queen of Spain he tells them that for the better and more speedy colonization of the island no one shall collect gold in it except those who have...

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Scorpionflies and Hangingflies, Order Mecoptera

Scorpionflies and Hangingflies, Order Mecoptera The order Mecoptera is a truly ancient group of insects, with a fossil record dating back to the early Permian period. The name Mecoptera derives from the Greek mecos, meaning long, and pteron, meaning wing. Scorpionflies and hangingflies are uncommon, though you can find them if you know where and when to look. Description: The scorpionflies and hangingflies range from small to medium in size (species vary from 3-30mm long). The scorpionfly body is usually slender and cylindrical in shape, with a head that extends into a pronounced beak (or rostrum). Scorpionflies have prominent, round eyes, filiform antennae, and chewing mouthparts. Their legs are long and thin. As you probably guessed from the etymology of the word Mecoptera, scorpionflies do indeed have long wings, relative to their bodies. In this order, the front and hind wings are roughly equal in size, shape, and venation, and all are membranous. Despite their common name, scorpionflies are entirely harmless. The nickname refers to the odd shape of the male genitalia in some species. Their genital segments, located at the end of the abdomen, curve upward like the sting of a scorpion does. Scorpionflies cannot sting, nor are they venomous. Scorpionflies and hangingflies undergo complete metamorphosis, and are some of the most ancient insects known to do so. Scorpionfly eggs actually expand as the embryo develops, which is quite an unusual trait in an egg of any organism. The larvae are most often thought to be saprophagous, though some may be herbivorous. Scorpionfly larvae develop quickly, but have an extended prepupal stage of one month to several months long. They pupate in the soil. Habitat and Distribution: Scorpionflies and hangingflies generally prefer moist, wooded habitats, most often in temperate or subtropical climates. Adult scorpionflies are omnivorous, feeding both on decaying vegetation and dead or dying insects. Worldwide, the order Mecoptera numbers about 600 species, divided among 9 families. Just 85 species inhabit North America. Families in the Order: Note: Only the first five families in the list below are represented by extant North American species. The remaining four families are not found in North America. Panorpidae – common scorpionfliesBittacidae - hangingfliesPanorpodidae – short-faced scorpionfliesMeropeidae - earwigfliesBoreidae – snow scorpionfliesApteropanorpidaeChoristidaeEomeropidaeNannochoristidae Families and Genera of Interest: Just a single species is known from the family Apteropanorpidae. Apteropanorpa tasmanica inhabits mosses in Tasmania, an island state off the mainland of Australia.Hangingflies (family Bittacidae) resemble crane flies, but they are unable to stand upright on surfaces as crane flies can. Instead, the predaceous adults hang from stems or leaves by their front legs, and grab insect prey with their raptorial hind legs.Use a Malaise trap to catch specimens of Merope tuber, the only North American species of earwigfly.Dont handle snow scorpionflies (family Boreidae)! Theyre so well adapted to cold climates, the warmth of your hand can kill them. Sources: Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Norman F. Johnson and Charles A. Triplehorn.Mecoptera, by Dr. John Meyer, North Carolina State University. Accessed December 26, 2012.Family Dinopanorpidae, Bugguide.net. Accessed December 26, 2012.Gordons Mecoptera Page, Gordon Ramel. Accessed December 26, 2012.World Checklist of Extant Mecoptera Species, California Academy of Sciences. Accessed December 26, 2012.